Finding Herself
by RawR means i love u 007
Summary: Thalia is lost, her mother is dead, her boyfriend died, and she has no idea what to do with her emotions. Then she moves to California to live with a friend where she meets him...Luke. Can he help her figure out all the crap that's haunting her and will she allow him to do so? Read and Review and most of all enjoy! RawR :D
1. Prologue

**Tell me what you guys think about this...I came up with it while i was hopped up on coffee and mountain dew at four a.m. Read and Review RawR**

* * *

Whoever declared that New York was the city that never slept was making an understatement. She lay there and stared at the ceiling. She replayed her mother's drunken rant in her head and traced the newly acquired cut on her arm that came about after she had met the wrath of a broken Tequila bottle.

_"You're just a stupid whore and that's all you'll ever be…"_

The words echoed through her head as she lay there. Her eyes began to cloud over with tears once again but she blinked them back like normal. To her crying was a weakness.

There was a tap on her window and there he stood. His black hair and matching eyes; to her the perfect cliché combination for the vision of the perfect drunk. He stood there and waited for her to open the window so he could come in. She motioned for him to hold on for a moment. She listened and found the familiar heavy snores of her mother in the room down the hall. She probably had knocked herself out with her sleeping pills possibly a handful too many but she didn't care, she never once cared.

She walked over to the window and he climbed in. To her that must've been pretty hard to do seeing that he was over six feet tall. He smiled at her and she closed the window.

"Hey are you ok?" he asked referring to the cut on her arm.

She looked at the cut, it wasn't too serious but it was enough to add to all of her other scars that she acquired over the long seventeen years of abuse. She couldn't wait for her eighteenth birthday.

"Oh this is nothing." She bluffed. In actuality it hurt like hell she was pretty sure that there was a glass shard stuck in it.

"Thals that looks like it could get infected." He rolled his eyes.

"Look it's nothing that I haven't dealt with before." She said crossly.

"The last time you dealt with something you ended up in the hospital with an infection." He snorted.

"Look I'm fine Nico." She rolled her eyes.

"At least let me bandage it." He said before retrieving a first aid kit from under Thalia's bed that he stashed there a few years back.

He sat her on her bed and pulled up a chair to her bedside table. He switched the lamp on and pulled her forearm across the top. He opened the first aid kit and pulled out the tweezers.

"Don't." she warned.

Nico handed her a teddy bear, "Bite down on this."

She wanted to scream as he poked around the cut with the tweezers to find the piece of glass that was lodged in it. Finally after a moment of searching and he pulled it out with a great deal of pain on her part. She winced as he poured hydrogen peroxide on the cut. She looked away as he pulled out the needle and thread.

"Ok don't look at this and bite on the bear." He warned.

It was a normal procedure; Thalia and her mom would fight, she would acquire a new cut, and Nico would come over after her mother was asleep to take care of her. She was used to the makeshift stitches and the sobs that would occasionally escape her.

Finally Nico finished playing doctor and was wrapping her stitches in gauze making sure that it was covering the stitches so no dirt could infect them. After he would look at Thalia with the same sympathetic look and Thalia would feel that twinge of pain through her body.

"Thals you can't keep living like this." He whispered.

She looked at him and knew he was right, "I know."

"Then do something; get out of here." Nico whispered.

"And go where? To a foster home where they'll ship me off? It's too late to do that I'm going to turn eighteen in seven months and then I'm out of here far away from the bitch." Thalia muttered.

Nico looked at her, "Thals."

She looked over at him and then slipped under her covers, "Nico."

He chuckled softly and she heard him get up, "Do you want me to stay or go?"

_"Stay."_ She thought instead she said, "Whatever you want."

Nico obviously took that as he needed to stay and she was grateful that he had read into her words. She could hear him sliding off his shoes and jeans, shedding his shirt and sliding under the covers behind her. She felt safe in his arms. That was the honest to God truth when it came to it.

She had grown accustomed to Nico being there every night. He was her age and they had grown up in the same neighborhood. They sent one another messages on whiteboards like that Taylor Swift music video. They had managed to find some sort of calm in the craziness of their lives. Nico was on his own pretty much; his sister was barely scraping together enough money to keep their place after mom died.

All that mattered to her was the fact that she had someone to care for. Someone who also cared for her back the way she cared for them. It was something that kept her from pitching herself off of one of the many buildings in the city. But all good things always end tragically…well for her they do. Of course once she managed to fine something good in life it disappeared as soon as it had appeared.


	2. Chapter 1

**Read and review I hope you guys like this I have like four hours pf sleep in me so if it doesn't make sense i'll try to make sense of it...lol. Well enjoy and of course RawR. Thanks to all of you guys who read this :D **

* * *

They stood there on the curb. A cloud of smoke curled out of her lip the lit cancer causer, as Luke liked to call it, between her index and middle fingers. He watched her as she took another long drag, "You know you should really stop that."

She rolled her eyes like she did every time he said that, "I know."

"Then do it." He said.

She rolled her eyes and continued to take a drag. Finally she snuffed it out and threw the butt onto the street. He scooted closer to her and smiled, "You know I'm always here for you right?"

She nodded, "I know."

He looked over at her, "Hey do you want to go to my place?"

She looked back at the building behind her and nodded, "I don't think I should show my face around there for awhile."

He wrapped his hand around hers and they walked back to his apartment that he could barely afford on his income working as a waiter at a local sports bar. He was living on his own since his mom died and his sister was trying to support them. They fell into a mutual weirdness and called it love.

He opened the door to his apartment, it was small but to her it was home, more of a home than her own place. Her brother had moved out years ago and lived with a friend. She stayed behind thinking maybe her mom would come to terms with her problems. That never happened. So she had become stuck there with her raging mother.

He guided her through the door and the locked it. She sat on the couch and he joined her. She leaned into his chest and smiled, "I love you."

He kissed the top of her head, "I love you even more."

Like that they sat there and became completely content in the other's company. Her body was relaxed and it was something she greeted openly. She was rarely relaxed.

It was nights like these that she loved the most. Nights that involved cuddling and kissing and sitting there with someone she cared about. Someone she cared about more than anything in the world. It was nights like these that kept her from pitching herself off of a building.

* * *

Then that all changed the night before her birthday. The roads were icy and there was a drunk driver. He never saw him coming. He literally came out of nowhere. The driver of the SUV hit him at 75 MPH. She cried when she had gotten the call. She remembered holding his head in her lap as he closed his eyes and begging him to wake up as he wasted his last breath on her.

"I love you." He whispered to her that night. That tragic night where she didn't even get to say goodbye to him.

For weeks she holed herself up in her room and wished that it had been her and not him in that accident. He didn't deserve to die that night. He didn't deserve what happened. There was so much more that he could have been capable of than her. Compared to him she was nothing…or at least that was what she thought.

She remembered sitting at his funeral, she was one of the only ones there besides his few close friends that he had. She recognized a couple of them from school but none she had ever really taken the effort to know very well. She watched as they lowered the casket into the ground and as she threw flowers on the freshly dug grave. She never cried though. To her it was still a weakness. She tried not to think about the feelings that were dredged up when she thought about him.

Soon after that things started to get worse with her mother. She then overdosed on a cocktail of prescription drugs, heroine, and Vodka. She was again one of the very few people who attended the funeral. Thalia sat there in that apartment by herself. Finally she packed up her belongings and decided that she was going to start over in a new town, with a new life, and none of that past baggage nagging at her.

* * *

As soon as she finished high school months later she left the city. She took the train as far as it would take her with the money she had since her mother had pissed most of her savings away on booze, drugs, and medications. She did however leave Thalia a small inheritance and a note. The note was an apology to her daughter for the years of hurt she had caused. She sat on the train and read the note over and over.

_"Dear Thalia,_

_I know that I was probably the worst mother in the world. I was probably worst than the worst mother in the world. I just wanted to take this as a chance to fully apologize for my actions. Things were good for awhile when you were born. I was thrilled to have a daughter you were the best thing that had happened to me for a long time. Then things got hard and your father walked out on us. I was lost. I turned to drinking and drugs thinking that it would take the problems away. It made them worse when I looked at it in retrospect._

_ Thalia I want you to understand that it wasn't your fault that I'm the way I am. I know that this is my fault and that there's no one else I should blame for this. I take full responsibility for all those scars and bruises that cover your body. Those were my fault. I should've sought after some help for my problems. I should never have blamed you for what I did. Those were my reckless actions. I really did love you Thalia and I want the best for you in your life. Go and live it how you see fit. I've left you a small part of my money. I would leave you more but unfortunately I pissed it all away._

_ Thalia please don't resent me and I know I was terrible. Christ, I was worse than Hitler and that's an understatement. I truly did love you sweetheart. There was nothing that would ever change that even my actions._

_ I love you,_

_ Mom."_

She found herself in California. The land of sunshine, surfers, earthquakes, and movie stars. She called up a friend who was out there and stayed with her for awhile.

The blonde opened the door and wrapped her in a tight hug, "Thalia I can't believe it."

"Hey Annabeth." Thalia smiled.'

"I'm sorry." Annabeth said.

Thalia cracked a pained smile, "Don't be it's not going to change anything."

Annabeth ushered Thalia into her apartment, "My parents are ok with you staying here as long as you need to. Then when I go off to college we can share an apartment."

"Sounds like a plan." Thalia nodded as she set her bags on Annabeth's spare bed.

"Cool, I can't believe that we're going to the same college." Annabeth smiled.

Thalia smiled, "Me either."

"It's going to be awesome." She smiled.

"Yeah it will be." Thalia said.

* * *

Thalia adjusted to her new life quite well and began to move on within a couple weeks of being there with Annabeth. She knew that it was what Nico would've wanted and what her mother was advocating. She had gotten a job at a local music store. Something she found took her mind off of the pain.

Then he walked in. And just like that, just by walking in he made his presence known to her. He walked up to the counter and smiled at her, "Hi do you know where Doug is?"

"He's on break." She replied.

"Oh well do you know anything about fixing a tambourine?" he asked.

She looked at him wondering if he was serious and as if he could read her mind he slapped a tambourine on the counter. It was literally broken in half. She shook her head, "Nope, but I know a thing or two about guitars."

"I haven't seen you around much. Are you new to the area?" he asked her.

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm from New York."

"So what brought you out here?" he asked her.

"I needed a fresh start." She replied simply.

He nodded, "Don't we all sometimes?"

She smiled, "That's for sure."

"So you can leave your tambourine and I'll give it to Doug." Thalia said.

Luke nodded, "Sure that sounds great and I'll leave my number so you can contact me when it's done."

She smiled, "Sure."

He grabbed a pad of sticky notes on the counter and a pen from the cup and scribbled some numbers onto the neon green sticky note before handing it to her. She watched him walk out and over to a group of guys sitting in a bench by the food court. She realized that one of the guys looked like Annabeth's boyfriend Percy.

She waited for her shift to end and left the tambourine for Doug to fix. The group of boys was still sitting there. Didn't they have anything better to do? She dug through her purse to find her keys when she realized that there was someone falling into stride with her. She looked up to find tambourine guy. He watched her curiously as she dug through her purse.

"I never caught your name." he said.

"That's because I never said it." She said.

He smiled, "Well I'm Luke and you are?"

"Thalia." She replied.

"Well it was nice to meet you Thalia." He smiled.

Finally she found her keys and she looked over at him, "Same to you Luke."

"So do you have anything going on tonight?" he asked.

"Why?" she asked.

"There's just this awesome bonfire tonight out at the beach you should check it out." He said.

"Maybe." She said.

"There'll be hamburgers you'll regret not going." He confirmed.

She didn't look at him and continued to walk into the parking lot. He was persistent she was going to give him that much. She wasn't exactly sure if she wanted to go. He followed her out to her car. She was beginning to get creeped out. He stood there as she unlocked her car and watched her as she threw her purse in the passenger seat.

"So I hope to see you there tonight, it'll be fun. I promise." He said.

"I'm sure it will be." She said before sliding into the driver's seat and starting the car. She closed her door and drove off she could see him standing there waving as she drove off.


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks for reading and for those of you who reviewed thanks for reviewing. I hope you like this next chapter, it took me a while to finish. Anyway Read, Review, and Enjoy. RawR :D**

* * *

She stood there at the beach wondering what had possessed her to actually go. But between Annabeth begging her to go and her own boredom she had decided to go. There was a small group gathered on the beach around the fire and it looked like they were having fun.

Then she saw tambourine guy…Luke or whatever his name was. He smiled when he saw her and allowed his friend to tend to the small grill. She could smell something cooking on it and she must admit that they smelt good whatever they were.

Annabeth was intercepted by Percy who was wearing a pair of swim trunks and holding a plastic cup. Luke walked over to her and smiled, "Well I didn't think that you would actually show."

"Like I said I had nothing to do tonight." She shrugged.

"Can I offer you a drink?" he asked gesturing to a beat up blue cooler.

"What do you have?" she asked.

"Well we have beer, Dr. Pepper, Cherry Coke, and Capri Suns." He rambled off the list off the top of his head.

"Cherry Coke will be fine." She said.

"Well I'll be right back with that." He said before heading over to the cooler.

He came back with a Vanilla Coke instead, "I guess the guys decided on Vanilla Coke tonight is that ok?"

She nodded, "Thanks."

He shrugged, "No problem."

The guy who took over the grilling announced that the burgers were done. Luke looked over at her and offered to go get her one but she followed him and got her own. There was every condiment under the sun for the burgers. Thalia went with the classic cheese, tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, ketchup, mustard, and mayo. She noticed Luke practically did the same but he added onions and olives.

He gestured toward a driftwood log by the fire and they sat there enjoying their burgers. They were amazing; the best burgers she had ever tasted to be exact.

"These are amazing." She said before she took another bite.

"I know, they're my secret recipe." Luke grinned.

Things were really beginning to pick up at the bonfire and there was singing and dancing, and a lot of other things going on. Thalia was soon swept up in a wave of dancing and she was actually for the first time in months actually having fun. Before she knew it the dancing slowed into a slow song. Luke sat there watching her intently. She smiled at him and he walked over to her.

"Take a walk?" he asked her.

She nodded, "Sure."

* * *

She followed him down the beach to a cluster of rocks. The bonfire was just a speck and she could barely hear the sounds of music and laughter. Luke helped her climb up the rock and they sat there looking at the stars. She was going to an arts school to take photography and Annabeth was going into architecture. So she was sure that college for them was going to be pretty chill considering that they were in a surfer town.

"So where are you pursuing in life?" he asked.

"I want to be a photographer." She said, "What about you?"

"I'm working on a degree in philosophy." He said.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"Twenty right now. So you're Annabeth's friend?" he asked.

"Yeah we've known one another since we were seven and then she moved out here." Thalia said.

"Annabeth's pretty cool but she can get pretty uptight." Luke said without taking his eyes off her.

"She just gets stressed." Thalia shrugged.

"So what brought you out here?" he asked her.

"I wanted a change of scenery and school." She said.

He nodded, "I can understand that. The East Coast is so congested."

"So you're from the East?" she asked.

"Connecticut." He confirmed.

"There's just so many people out there that's all." She shrugged.

"Don't you miss anyone back home?" he asked her.

She shook her head, "There's really no one to miss back there."

"Not even family or a friend?" he asked.

"My mom overdosed on a concoction of several things that don't mix and the one person I was ever close to after Annabeth left died in a car crash. He didn't even see the drunk driver." She shook her head trying not to cry.

Luke sat there quietly, "So you wanted to start over?"

She nodded, "Sort of."

"Trust me I know exactly where you're coming from. I did the same thing two years ago. Best thing I ever did though." He added at the end.

"Why did you come out here then?" she asked him.

"Well my buddies were coming out here and I guess you could say that I was running from my past that I'm not exactly proud of." He shrugged.

She nodded, "Oh."

They sat there for awhile talking about anything. Thalia felt at ease with him even though she had literally just met him hours before. There was something about him that made Thalia feel like she could tell him anything. He understood her but she was cautious. She knew about guys who act like they care and break your heart in the end. She wanted to make sure that's what he wasn't going to do.

"LUKE WHERE ARE YOU?!" someone called from the distance.

Luke looked back and they realized that they could barely see the bonfire. They decided to head back and call it a night.

"So I'll see you around then?" he asked.

She nodded, "Definitely."

"Cool, you work at Doug's now?" he asked.

"Yeah why?" she asked.

"I may just stop in and say hi from time to time." He shrugged.

"Well I enjoyed talking to you." She smiled.

"Same here." He said before she could register the situation he leaned down and kissed her cheek.

Thalia could sense Annabeth's calculating eyes on her back trying to take in the situation so she decided to smile at Luke and then walk over to her best friend.

* * *

Once in the car Annabeth spoke, "So Luke huh?"

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Where did you two disappear to for that long?" Annabeth asked in a girlish giggle. That was something completely unlike her best friend.

"Annabeth are you drunk?" she asked.

"Maybe a little now answer the damn question." Annabeth said. Yeah she was definitely drunk.

"We were just talking Annabeth nothing happened." Thalia shot down any idea that Annabeth might have had locked away in her mind.

"So what did you talk about?" Annabeth asked.

"Nothing really just stuff." Thalia shrugged.

"You were gone a really long time to just be talking about stuff." Annabeth inquired.

"It was nothing Annabeth." Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked.

Finally after Annabeth's volley of questions they were home. They had found an apartment and decided to move earlier than they had planned. It was a nice apartment that Annabeth's dad was helping to pay for. He only wanted the best for Annabeth and he had considered Thalia a second daughter anyway.

As soon as Annabeth's head hit the pillow she was out. Thalia on the other hand took a quick shower and looked out window for awhile watching things that happened to pass.

Finally around two in the morning Thalia passed out in her bed from exhaustion.

* * *

When she finally woke up she had to go to work. Sure enough there he was sitting in the store.

She walked in and went behind the counter, "Well you stay true to your word."

"I told you I would stop in and say hi." He said without even looking up from the magazine he was skimming through.

Thalia looked at him, "So are you just going to sit there or do you have any interest in helping me organize some records?"

He smiled, "Sure thing sounds like fun."

He walked over to the desk and messed with the radio until it was on a classic rock station. Thalia didn't mind she loved the classics. In fact they happened to be playing one of her favorite songs.

They spent the rest of the afternoon sorting, alphabetizing, and genretizing the records as Luke liked to call it. He hummed while he worked and then something changed once they played an old Guns and Roses song. It was one of Thalia's favorite; Sweet Child O'Mine.

There was something more solemn about his expression. Thalia walked over to the radio and changed the station. He didn't even skip a beat when he started to hum the new song that was playing.

They went back to their work occasionally talking about anything. There were a few customers that came in and looked around but they never bought anything. So Thalia literally spent her day organizing the expansive amount of records in the store.

"So are you busy tonight?" he asked her.

She looked at him a Lady Gaga record in her hands, "No why?"

"Do you want to grab a bite?" he asked her.

She didn't answer for a moment, "Sure Annabeth won't be home tonight anyway."

"Cool I know this great place that had amazing onion rings and their burgers are pretty amazing." He smiled.

* * *

As she locked up Luke waited for her by his car since she had walked to work that day. Mr. Chase had gotten her a car when she came out and she still insisted on paying him back but he wouldn't accept her offers. He told her that it was fine and he could afford it.

Luke had an old beat up Jeep but it was vintage and Thalia thought it was pretty cool. He didn't have the top on it so it reminded her of something from a surfing movie.

"Admiring my ride I see." He chuckled.

"Actually it's pretty awesome." She said.

"You think?" he asked as he started the engine.

"Totally." She said.

"Well she's never let me down." He smiled as they pulled out of the parking lot.

They pulled into the parking lot of a small boathouse on the channel. It was near a marina and there was live music. Luke opened the door and guided her to the hostess's podium.

"How many?" she asked in a monotone voice.

"Two on the deck." Luke said.

She grabbed two menus and silverware rolls before turning toward the back door. Luke guided Thalia with his hand on the small of her back and finally they arrived at their table. Luke pulled out Thalia's chair for her and then sat in his own across from her.

"Your waitress will be here any moment." The hostess said in a flat tone and then left them there.

"So how exactly did you find this place?" Thalia asked.

"Well one night I was hungry and every other place around was packed so I went on a little adventure and I found Rick's." Luke shrugged.

"So Mr. Burger Coinsurer what do you suggest?" she asked as she flipped through the menu.

"Well the build you own you can't go wrong with but I must say that the best burger here is probably the Bleu Cheese Buffalo Burger." Luke said.

She read the description, "Really?"

"No I was lying. The best is the Southwest Burger." He said.

Before she knew it their food was there and she was enjoying the best food in her life. Luke watched her as she took a sip of her drink.

"So how is it?" he asked.

"Amazing." She said.

He nodded, "Told you didn't I?"

"So are you always this friendly when you just meet people?" she asked.

After dinner Luke took her out for ice cream on the boardwalk. He swore that the one ice cream shop had the best ice cream. It was small and Thalia could smell the homemade waffle cones when they walked in.

"Welcome to Sandy's can I help you?" an older woman asked.

"Hey Sandy." Luke greeted her.

"Well hi there hon." She smiled and then she noticed Thalia, "Who is this Luke?"

"This is Thalia she's new to the area." Luke introduced Thalia, "This is Sandy she owns the shop."

Thalia smiled, "Nice to meet you."

"Same to you sweetheart." The woman smiled.

"Ok Sandy we're going to need two of your largest flavor of the day in a waffle cone." Luke said.

Thalia looked at him, "Largest?"

He nodded, "You'll love it so much you'll regret only getting a little. She makes all of this homemade."

"Oh well what's the flavor of the day?" Thalia asked.

"Well today's flavor is something new I wanted to try, it happens to Razzleberry Cheesecake." Sandy said as she pulled out a fresh ice cream scoop and two waffle cones.

Soon enough they had their ice cream, "Have fun kids and Luke be nice to her."

"I will Sandy." Luke said before we were out on the boardwalk.

"This is amazing." She said.

Luke smiled at her, "You will regret nothing."

Thalia smiled and continued to enjoy her ice cream as they walked down the boardwalk to the pier that was attached. Luke and Thalia finally finished their cones and they were at the end of the pier for the second time.

"That was so much ice cream." Thalia said.

"It was good though." Luke smiled.

They walked down to the beach where they sat in the sand watching the sun go the rest of the way down. Luke looked over her and smiled, "You look beat."

"I am. We did a lot today." She yawned.

"Well do you have enough in you for a couple more things?" Luke asked.

She looked at him, "Like what?"

"Well I was thinking that I could take you to the drive in." Luke said, "It's a double feature."

She shrugged, "Sure why not?"

"Good I know where to get the best seats in the house." Luke grinned.

The drive in was twenty minutes out of town and Luke pulled on to a cliff like thing that over looked the theater. It was amazing and the view was great. Thalia just reminded herself not to look down because she was afraid of heights.

According to Luke it was Harrison Ford Night. They were showing Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Star Wars Episode IV. Thalia crinkled her nose to the Star Wars but was ok with the Indiana Jones thing.

She looked over at Luke and realized that he was wearing an Indiana Jones t-shirt. He noticed that she was looking, "Admiring my amazing abs?"

"No I just noticed your shirt." Thalia said.

"Well you couldn't exactly see them with my shirt over them." He said jokingly.

The truth is the shirt was quite fitted and yes she could see his eight pack. She rolled her eyes and pretended like she didn't hear that last statement. They sat there and then Luke offered her a box of Cookie Dough Bites, her favorite candy when watching a movie. She grabbed a couple and then handed him the box.

"So are you an Indiana Jones fan?" Thalia asked.

Luke nodded, "How could you tell it wasn't the shirt was it?"

She smiled, "No not at all, it was the fact that you were muttering the lines under your breath that gave it away."

Luke chuckled, "Yeah Indy's been my idol since I was like four. When I was younger I used to run around in khakis, a white dress shirt, loafers, and a fedora, and I carried a whip."

"Nice." She laughed.

"How about you didn't you idolize that movie character and wanted to live their life?" Luke asked her.

She laughed, "Not really."

"Come on not even one character?" Luke asked her.

She shook her head, "Nope."

"Well what kind of childhood did you have?" he asked.

"I didn't." she replied.

"Well that could be a problem." Luke shook his head.

"Why?" she asked.

"Childhood is a huge part of life; it's what shapes a person into what they are." Luke said.

Thalia looked over at him, "Well then how do you propose I fix that?"

"I will help you relive childhood and you will thank me. I will have your childhood completed by the time that you go to school." Luke said.

She looked at him, "Ok then you got it."

The truth is Thalia spent much of her childhood doing what her mother was supposed to do, and then later she was like a wife. She spent the first fifteen years of her life taking care of her little brother and then she spent the last three acting like Nico's wife. She knew it was weird and she didn't realize how much she had missed out on until talking to Luke.

"Cool we start tomorrow either early or when you get off work…do you work tomorrow?" Luke asked her.

"No I actually have the day off tomorrow." She said.

"Well then that's good we're starting early tomorrow, you have a lot to catch up on." Luke said.

"Well then if I have to be up so early maybe you should take me back to my place." Thalia said.

Luke looked at his watch, "Well maybe you're right."

* * *

Before she knew it she was headed home and Luke pulled into the complex's parking lot. He got out of the car and walked her up to her apartment. They stood there for a moment facing each other until Luke broke the silence, "Well be ready by seven."

"Seven in the morning?" she asked.

"I told you we were starting early." Luke said.

"I didn't think you meant that early." She said.

Luke looked at her and grinned, "Complain more and I'll make it six."

"Seriously dude?" she asked.

He nodded, "Well I had a lot of fun today."

She smiled, "Same here thanks for everything Luke."

"It's no problem." He smiled.

She found them drifting ever so closer to one another. She panicked and pulled away. She unlocked her door and opened it. She smiled at him and hurriedly said goodbye. She waited for him to walk away before shutting the door. She had no idea what was happening…but she figured it was too soon for her to actually be falling for someone she had barely known for twenty-four hours.


	4. Chapter 3

Thalia looked around the next morning at work. She shrugged maybe he wasn't going to be there. She had spent her whole day yesterday with him doing a bunch of childhood like activities. She yawned and sat behind the counter. It was going to be a slow day. She turned on the radio to the classic rock station that she had been listening to with Luke the other day.

She was just sitting there when finally she began to doze off. There was a rap on the counter and she looked up to find Luke standing there.

"Sleeping on the job huh?" he chuckled.

"No I just closed my eyes." She lied.

"Sure you did." He smiled.

"I was beginning to think that you wouldn't show up." She yawned.

Luke smiled, "Well I'm here aren't I?"

She smiled and stood up to straighten up the magazine display. Luke followed behind her and then he sat down for a moment. Doug had stopped in when she had opened the store that morning but other than that he hadn't been around. He was busy trying to set things up for a beach concert with local bands.

Thalia once again spent her day with Luke straightening things, dusting off the instruments, and whatever else they could do until her shift ended and the next person took over.

Finally when her shift ended Luke decided that it was another day for completing her checkered childhood. That day he had decided that it was time for a water gun fight. Luke handed her a Super Soaker and a couple smaller water guns.

"Did you literally go out and buy all of these?" she asked.

He shook his head, "No I already had these."

"For what purpose?" she asked.

"The purpose of a girl who hasn't had a childhood and I decided to help her out. You never know what you need them for." Luke shrugged.

He smiled and then declared that it was time to start their ultimate duel. He had taken her to the beach that was crawling with people that day. He smiled at her once they ran out of water or ammo as he referred to her. She was beat at that time. Between waking up at eight after falling asleep around three in the morning and now hanging out with Luke, she was horribly worn out.

"So how was that for the day?" he asked her.

"Fun." She yawned.

Luke chuckled, "So there's this concert at the beach do you want to go check it out tonight?"

"The one Doug's been organizing." She asked.

He nodded, "Yeah I figured that you wanted to go."

"I have to work it tonight." She said.

"Well is there anything I can do to help out?" he asked.

"Doug's always looking for people to help out I'm sure there's something." Thalia shrugged.

"Cool when do you have to be there?" he asked.

"Five thirty." She replied.

"I'll meet you there." He said.

"Ok I should probably get cleaned up." She said.

"I'll give you a ride." He smiled and slung her over his shoulder.

"Can you put me down?" she asked.

"No this is way more entertaining." Luke chuckled as he continued to his car.

That night he met her there like he said he would. Thalia smiled when she saw him standing there. Doug ran over to Thalia and smiled, "Thank God you're here."

"Is it already going that bad?" Thalia asked.

"No I just need you to see if you can get a few more volunteers." Doug said.

Luke stepped forward, "Well you already have one."

Doug smiled, "Luke you don't have to do that you perform later."

Thalia looked over at Luke who smiled, "I want to, and I don't perform until eleven."

Thalia was still giving Luke a puzzled look, "Perform?"

"Luke hasn't told you that he's in a band?" Doug asked.

I shook my head, "That would explain the tambourine though."

"Wow I'm surprised; the locals all love his band. They rage about it every time they're playing a gig." Doug smiled.

Luke just stood there shaking his head modestly, "The last time we played at a bar some one threw their hot wings at us."

"That person didn't know what true music was." Doug insisted.

"We're not that great; if we were we would have a record deal." Luke shrugged.

"For now you have to start small man and then things will carry out the way their supposed to." Doug said.

Annabeth and Percy walked over, "Do you guys need any help?"

"Are you sure you and Luke want to help?" he asked Percy and Luke.

Percy nodded, "We don't go on until eleven we can spare a couple hands."

Doug carted Luke and Percy off after telling Annabeth and Thalia that they were in charge of concessions. The girls made sure that everything was in place and that there was nothing that could possibly go wrong during the night.

"So now you'll answer my questions because I'm sober this time." Annabeth said.

"What questions?" Thalia asked.

"Well you're spending a lot of time with Luke." Annabeth said.

"He just stops by and we hang out he's helping me relive my childhood." Thalia shrugged as she dumped several bags of ice into a cooler for the beers and sodas and whatnots.

"So he doesn't exactly talk to many people." Annabeth said.

Thalia looked at her, "He doesn't?"

"No he's actually to himself." Annabeth said.

"I figured he was just that friendly." Thalia shrugged.

"He likes you; you're the first girl he's really done anything with since he got here." Annabeth said.

"We're just friends nothing more than that." Thalia said.

"Well then I don't understand why he's over there watching you." Annabeth smiled.

Thalia looked over at him and sure enough he was watching her. She smiled at him and waved. He waved back before he was pulled away by Doug.

The night was fun and she had to admit that Luke's band was amazing. Finally the thing wrapped up around four in the morning. There was something weird about the air around her with Annabeth who was positive Luke liked her.

She sat there in her room the next day. She needed to take a day to rest so she called in sick to work and kind of kept to herself until there was a knock on her door around noon. Truth was she felt like crap.

She opened it without even thinking to check the peephole. Luke was standing there and holding a brown paper bag. She looked at him and invited him in.

"Hey Doug said you called in sick." Luke said as he set the paper bag onto the island and looking through the cabinets for plates and whatnot. He pulled out bowls and then pulled something out of the bag. He poured equal amounts into the bowls and stuck a spoon into it. He handed Thalia one and sat opposite of her at the table.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Egg drop soup." He replied and then sprinkled something over the top.

They enjoyed their soup and then Luke decided that Thalia needed some supervision. He totally ignore the fact that she could handle herself perfectly well. He sat on the couch with her curled up under a blanket watching movies.

Somewhere in there Thalia fell asleep and then woke back up in Luke's arms. He kissed her head and Thalia couldn't help but blush. She didn't know what exactly to consider their relationship yet. He smiled at her when he realized that she was up and went back to watching the movie that he had popped in.

Thalia knew there was something about him that he never really talked about. Thalia knew it was something about his past that apparently he fled from two years ago.

Luke and Thalia spent their afternoon together and then there was the fact that Annabeth came home early that night and didn't exactly help Thalia's argument that they were just friends. Annabeth just smirked and walked past her. She knew later there would be an I told you so from Annabeth.

At that moment she didn't care. She finished watching movies with Luke and then she decided that she was tired. Luke carried her into her room and said goodnight to her. After he closed the door and left Thalia was thinking to herself that she wasn't ready for another boyfriend.

She couldn't let this happen but then again she was pretty sure that somehow she was falling for Luke.


	5. Chapter 4

Thalia bustled around the store the next day with Luke watching her from the food court where he had a job over at the smoothie place. Finally his shift was over and he went to change something he did before coming to see Thalia.

He walked in holding two smoothies, "Here you go."

She took the smoothie, "What kind is it and how did you obtain it?"

"It's your favorite blueberry, banana, mocha smoothie. My boss told me to take you one." He shrugged.

Thalia took a sip of the smoothie, "Did you put extra mocha in it?"

He nodded, "I've watched you order smoothies before."

"Well then do I have a stalker?" I asked.

"Consider it a fan." He shrugged.

Thalia had to pick up a double shift since she had skipped work the week before. Luke was always there though when she was working so she wasn't too bored. They would talk about anything that's everything. He would buy her lunch and they'd eat it together while customers would browse the shop occasionally buying something or dropping off and instrument for repair.

Thalia was used to Luke's company and she enjoyed it when he was around but she was so confused when it came to the feelings department. Was she really falling for him? Did he really care about her the way he was letting on? Was she ready to move on from Nico? Will she let him in when it's time to do so?

She looked at him while he sat there with her. She smiled and he smiled back like normal. She wondered what he was thinking about at the moment. Finally her shift ended and Luke followed her back to her place. Annabeth was out late with Percy again but Thalia didn't mind at the moment. She liked spending time with Luke he was cool.

"So what do you feel like doing tonight?" he asked as she stood over a skillet of sizzling chicken, peppers, and onions. She decided to make fajitas that night.

"Well I think we should eat dinner first then figure out what we're going to do." She said as she pulled the flour tortillas out of the microwave.

She went to chopping up lettuce and tomato, getting out salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and cheese. Luke pulled out plates and silverware just incase as he put it. Finally they sat down to dinner. Then just as they were about to take the first bite the storm that had rolled in caused the power to go out.

Thalia found a flashlight and then went on a search for some candles. Finally when they had enough light to be able to see their food they finally got to eat. She and Luke enjoyed it and left some incase Annabeth hadn't eaten by the time she did return. Sometimes she forgot to eat when she was with Percy. Thalia didn't want to know what they were doing but she did wonder what caused Annabeth to forget to eat.

Luke and Thalia then sat there and talked about everything they could think of. She enjoyed his company through the storm and it was better than sitting alone through it. It wasn't that she hated storms, in fact she loved them, she just liked his company.

Finally the power came back and Annabeth came home. Luke decided that he should probably head home before Percy freaked out and called a search party for him. Annabeth smiled at Thalia as she pulled a couple fajitas out of the microwave and dressed them the way she liked them.

"So he came over for dinner, a candlelight dinner may I add." Annabeth teased as she pointed to the candles on the table.

"Well how did you expect us to eat in the dark?" Thalia asked as she poured herself a glass of juice.

"Well you could use flashlights." Annabeth shrugged.

Thalia laughed, "Nothing happened ok, it was just dinner."

"It was only just dinner now but that will all change soon. Why can't you accept that you're falling for him and that he likes you?" Annabeth asked.

"Because that's not true." Thalia said.

"Hey tomorrow is your day off and I think we need to go shopping. My dad sent us the allowance to do it" Annabeth smiled.

"Sure sounds like fun. How much?" Thalia shrugged.

"Cool well then we should get some sleep. We're going to have a long day tomorrow. He sent like four thousand, told us to have a good time."

Thalia and Annabeth started their shopping adventure by picking up Percy and Luke who insisted on going with them when they heard the news. Percy and Annabeth sat in the backseat of Thalia's brand new black Audi convertible that Mr. Chase insisted she buy. Thalia and Luke were up front.

They pulled into the parking space downtown that housed Annabeth's favorite stores that she was convinced Thalia would love as well and Percy and Luke decided that it was their job to tell the girls what they looked good in.

Thalia ended up getting more than she expected thanks to Luke's helpful insight. She ended up with at least seven dresses, six tops, five pairs of jeans, eight pairs of shoes, four bathing suits, pajamas, four skirts, three jackets, and whatever else Luke had decided she could possibly need with two thousand dollars.

Luke's favorite dress was probably the slinky black one he had grabbed off the rack. She tried it on and it fit like a glove. She looked good in it and he liked it so she decided to buy the dress just for him.

Annabeth ended up like Thalia had with tons of bags from different stores containing two thousand dollars worth of clothing. They went out for dinner and lunch on the boys treat of course. The day was great. Thalia never actually remembered going shopping like that in New York.

Luke looked over at her in the car, "Cross shopping with friends off you list."

"So was that part of my childhood redo?" she asked.

"Yes it was." He confirmed.

Later that night she was looking out her window once again when her phone rang. She went to answer it and noticed that it was Luke's number. She smiled and then picked up.

"Hey what's up?" she asked.

"Nothing I'm on my way to pick you up." He said.

"Why?" she asked.

"I'll explain to you later, just grab your sweatshirt and a blanket." He said, "I'll be there in five."

Thalia hung up and did what she was told waiting for Luke out front. Finally he pulled in and she slid into the passenger's seat. He peeled out of the parking lot and down the road. He pulled into the beach and they sat there. She realized that he had a pick-up that night rather than his Jeep.

"Where's your Jeep?" she asked.

"I borrowed Percy's pick-up for the night." Luke shrugged.

They were lying in the bed of the pickup under the blanket Thalia had brought with her. Luke and Thalia were facing each other. She realized that he looked troubled.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Luke looked at her, "You just remind me of someone that I knew."

"Who?" she asked.

He looked over at her and smiled, "Someone I loved."

"Is that a good thing?" Thalia asked.

Luke chuckled, "Yes it's a good thing."

"Then why are you sad?" she asked she felt like a child asking all of these questions.

"Because she died two years ago." Luke whispered.

"So what happened to her?" she asked.

"There was a trucker who didn't yield at a stop sign. She was texting me and didn't see him. It was technically her turn to go so she went and he hit going over 80." Luke explained.

Thalia looked over at him and intertwined her fingers in his, "Something similar happened to me."

He looked at her, "Really?"

She nodded, "The night before my birthday the roads were icy. He was on his way home from working at a sports bar and there was a drunken SUV driver. He hit him going 75."

Luke looked over at her, "Well I know you understand me then."

She nodded, "It sucks having the one you love ripped out of your life as fast as a car accident. I never got to say goodbye."

Luke looked at her, "I was the reason for the accident. The last text I sent to her was something about dinner. She died in the hospital a week later."

"He died on the scene. I rushed over and I remember holding his head in my lap as he died." She whispered she swallowed back the tears once again.

"Wow that has to suck." Luke whispered.

She nodded. She wasn't going to say anything in fear that if she did there would be tears. Luke pulled her into her arms and held her tightly for a moment.

"It's ok to cry once in awhile." He whispered.

"Not its not, it's weak." She whispered.

"No, you've been strong too long and now it needs to come out. You're not weak because you cry." He whispered.

She finally let it out. Years of pent up sadness and anger and whatever other emotion she could possibly hold in. Luke held her close and comforted her as she continued to sob. Finally she calmed down and Luke smiled at her, "See doesn't it feel better to cry?"

She smiled at him, "Yeah it does."

"Sometimes you need to let it all out. Holding in emotion isn't healthy." He said.

She looked at him, "Where did you get that from Dr. Phil?"

"No I got it from some website." He shrugged.

She laughed and he did the same. Finally he looked up and pointed to something in the sky. There were shooting stars. Something she had never seen before bur had always wanted to.

They spent the next hour or so watching the shooting stars and then they cuddled. Thalia looked over at him and before she knew it his lips were on hers. She kissed him back and she knew that she was falling for him. She knew that she was ready to move on.

Luke pulled away after a few moments and smiled at her, "Thalia I love you."

She looked at him and smiled herself, "I love you too."

"Good." He whispered before kissing her again.


	6. Chapter 5

She awoke in Luke's bed. Luke's arms wrapped around her. She tried to ease herself out of his grip but he stirred and woke up. Thalia smiled at him and kissed him softly. They'd been officially dating for two months. She was going to school in a few weeks.

"Morning." He whispered.

"Morning." She replied as she tied her hair back with a hair tie.

"So do I have to get you over to work today or do I get to keep you?" he asked.

"I actually have the next week off." She smiled.

He grinned, "Good."

Luke smiled and took her back to her place so she could shower and get some clean clothes. He advised her to grab enough for a few nights. She figured that she should leave Annabeth a note to tell her where she would be incase she needed something over the next few days or she'd decided to call a search party to find her.

Thalia shoved some things into a bag and then went out to meet Luke. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" they turned to find Annabeth.

"I'm going to kidnap your beautiful roommate." Luke smiled.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows, "Well then I guess I appreciate the warning to call off the search party."

Luke chuckled and kissed Thalia, "Well you're welcome."

"So where are you two off to?" she asked.

"A secret place." Luke smiled.

Thalia looked at him and raised her eyebrows, "What?"

"You'll see where we're going." He smiled.

Annabeth smirked as she passed to her own room once again, "Don't keep her too long I expect her back before the end of the week."

Thalia smiled, "Don't worry mom."

She heard Annabeth chuckled and then they took that as their cue to leave. Luke returned his car and changed and packed for himself. He slid into Thalia's car and smiled.

He led her to a little beach town about an hour away from their own beach town. They pulled into the parking lot of an amazing hotel right on the ocean. Thalia and Luke walked into the lobby and she looked around the place. It was amazing. There were fountains and luggage carts. So many things were going on around her.

"How can you afford this place?" she asked.

"Well there's something that I've wanted to do for awhile and I know the owner pretty well. He gives me free stays all the time." Luke grinned.

They walked to the front desk where a middle aged blonde woman was smiling at them, "Can I help you?"

"Is Harry here?" Luke asked.

"One minute are you his special guest?" she asked.

"That would be under Castellan." Luke smiled.

She smiled, "The stay is complementary, you have the penthouse suite."

She slid the keys across the desk and Luke signed the papers. His arm around Thalia's waist. The penthouse was more than Thalia could handle. She looked around at the room. There were six different rooms there, a kitchen, three bathrooms; there was a pool and a hot tub. She looked over at Luke who had made himself at home.

She walked over to where he was on the bed and sat next to him, "Luke what's all of this about?"

He smiled at her and pulled her onto his lap, "That my dear you will have to figure out through the week."

She looked at him, "What are you talking about?"

"You'll see." He smiled.

They sat there for a moment and then Luke stood up, "Well I think we should go grab some lunch."

"Where?" she asked.

"There's this pretty amazing place down the boardwalk." He smiled.

He took her there and they were seated by the water, by the time they were ready it was already time for dinner. Luke still managed to surprise her every day. He held her hand across the table and stared into her eyes, "All the times I've been here I've always gone alone."

She smiled, "Really?"

He nodded, "You're the first to know about my secret happy place."

They sat there and enjoyed their meal. They ended up spending the night out on the beach at the boardwalk looking at all the town had to offer. She was wearing one of Luke's favorite dresses on her. It was a light airy but deep purple and gold dress. He looked pretty spiffy himself in a nice purple shirt and dress pants.

"Thalia I'll give you one of your clues." He smiled.

He pulled something out of his pocket. It was a picture of Will Smith.

"Will Smith?" she asked, "If this is about my childhood I've seen enough Fresh Prince."

Luke chuckled, "You'll have to see the rest of your clues."

The next day he left a college sweater in the bathroom for her after her shower. It was his U of M sweatshirt. She looked at it and decided that she was even more confused more than she was last night upon receiving a picture of Will Smith.

She walked out of the bathroom in his sweatshirt and a pair of cotton shorts, "The U of M?"

"Just wait Thalia." He smiled.

They spent that day in the room. Luke cooked and Thalia watched movies. It was an easy day there were so many things to do in a hotel penthouse room that Thalia was beat by the time they went to bed.

The next day there were tickets sitting on the kitchen counter for the boardwalk amusement park. They spent the day riding rides, eating cotton candy and chili cheese fries, and enjoying their time together. Luke handed her the map and the merry-go-round was circled.

"Another clue?" she asked.

"Of course it is." He smiled as they walked out to Thalia's car.

Finally the next night after they spent the day doing anything they could think of, and their last day there. Luke called room service for dinner and set up the room while Thalia spent the day at the spa.

When she came back Luke ambushed her with roses, chocolates, and a glass of sparking water. He led her to the balcony where there was a dinner waiting.

He sat Thalia down and they enjoyed their dinner before he handed her a pad of paper and a pen before handing her the last clue, "You'll figure this out after you see the last clue."

She opened the envelope to find a picture of the movie poster for Despicable Me 2. She grabbed the pen and paper and began to write down the clues in ways that would possibly make sense. Luke smiled the whole time as she tried to figure it out.

She looked down at the most recent option and realized that she had written it without thinking, _"Will You Marry Me?"_

She shook her head and was about to scribble it off the list when Luke grabbed her hand and stopped her. She looked up at him and raised her eyebrows, "What?"

"Thalia there's something I want to ask you." He said before getting down on one knee, "I know we've only known one another for a few months, but I know that there's something about you that I can't live without. I'm going to take a little bit of a leap here and ask you; Thalia Grace will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?"

She looked at him and her hand instantly flew to her mouth. She was speechless. Luke looked at her and pulled out a black box before slipping the ring onto her finger. She looked at it and realized that the diamond was surrounded my amazingly blur sapphires and then she realized that the diamond itself was a pale blue.

"Yes I'll marry you." She whispered.

Luke grinned and kissed her passionately. This was not at all what she had expected. She hadn't expected to come out to California to find love but she did. She found someone who made her happier than Nico. She thought it over that night as she lay in bed next to Luke. Nico was someone she loved but now that she looked back on it she noticed that he was also something that reminded her of all the things that had hurt her in life. Luke was someone who she loved also. He showed her that you could move on after tragedy and now she had promised to spend the rest of her life with him. She looked over at him and snuggled into his side. Her life was going to start falling into place now everything was beginning to make sense.

He smiled and pulled her closer to him and kissed the top of her head, "I love you Thalia."

He had agreed that they would wait until she was done with her school and then they would get married. Luke's band, much to the dismay of their fans, had broken up when most of the members decided that it wasn't something they wanted to do anymore. There was nothing that Thalia could think of that could ruin how she was feeling at the moment.

She and Luke survived through Thalia's four years of college and his two before they were finally married the next summer. She smiled when they welcomed their first son into the world where after that there would be another daughter and a set of twins. Their lives weren't haunted by their pasts and they lived it as happily as they could.

Luke smiled at her like he had the first day they had met and she still kissed him like the first time they had kissed after all they had been through. Things like this were what made her life happy. Somewhere between all the trauma and misery and the happiness and the love she found herself. She found that she was strong and that she could love again. She found that she could move on with her life and find happiness and she also found that there was nothing more to life than being happy. Luke definitely proved that to her through those years where his spontaneity showed her that there's nothing you can't find to make you happy/

So that night after she put the twins to bed and tucked in their other children with Luke at her side, she kissed her amazing husband goodnight and snuggled close to him like when they had first snuggled together. She loved him and nothing had changed the fact that he loved her.


End file.
